The Los Angeles Lakers opened their five-game road trip with a 109-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, marking the team’s first defeat under rookie head coach JJ Redick. The loss also highlighted the Lakers’ new goal for the season: to avoid back-to-back losses, a mindset that echoes their approach during the 2019-20 championship season. Now at 3-1, the Lakers initially led by as many as 18 points before the Suns staged a comeback, reminiscent of their previous matchup, when Phoenix held a 22-point lead.
Anthony Davis continued his strong start to the season, posting 29 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and one steal. Meanwhile, LeBron James had a challenging night offensively, shooting just 3-for-14 from the field. However, he extended his streak of scoring at least 10 points — dating back to 2007 — with 11 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds.
After the game, Davis emphasized the importance of resilience, acknowledging the team’s desire to avoid consecutive losses on this road trip.
“We don’t expect to lose, you know. But, we’re realists. Realistically, probably gonna lose a game out there, but we didn’t want to start off with the first loss on this trip. But, it happened,” Davis said. “I like the way the guys competed, and we played extremely hard. Now, we bounce back against a Cleveland team. Another team that’s playing extremely well. So we gotta go in and try not to lose two in a row. We got different talent for us all year to not lose two in a row.”
LeBron James emphasizes Lakers goal to avoid consecutive losses
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LeBron James echoed Anthony Davis’s thoughts, stressing the importance of preventing losses from snowballing as the team adjusts to new systems and builds chemistry under Redick.
“I just want to be able to bounce back and not let the snowball turn into an avalanche, obviously, when it comes to the loss column,” James said. “So, we’re in the process. We’re still getting to know our system, to know each other out there on the floor. But we want to be able to not let the losses come in bunches. So, we’re looking forward to the next matchup.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin noted that the Los Angeles Lakers’ commitment to avoiding consecutive losses mirrors the 2019-20 title-winning team, which only lost back-to-back games three times. By maintaining this focus, the Lakers are aiming to build consistency and sustain momentum throughout the season, a strategy that helped drive them to their last championship.
